Though he’s keeping his mouth shut about his secret lover’s identity (yes, it’s the one most of you are hoping for), Theo tells me, “Talbot loves Russell immensely because he’s [his] maker, but like any marriage, it has its ups and downs. One thing we have a huge fight over is that I always have to stay home. Sometimes I have to straighten him out and take drastic measures to save the marriage.

That Alan Ball... lucky for us he knows how to write great characters, and even luckier for us young Rutina Wesley knows how to play a great character when it comes to Tara, the sassy African American BFF of Sookie Stackhouse. I chatted with Rutina about her character and the third season of True Blood for the cover article on the series in the August issue of Sci Fi Magazine, which will be on the newsstands on June 1 or so.

Here's a small bit of our exclusive interview, most of which did NOT make the magazine...

KATHIE: Why do you think Tara has managed to get herself into so much trouble in the past?

RUTINA: That darn vulnerability. She’s so vulnerable and naive at times, but I think that’s just ‘cause all she knows is Bon Temps. It's a small town. Even though she’s well read and self-educated, there’s still a lot of things about life experience that Tara just doesn't know. So she’s really getting some life experience (laughs). And she’s gonna go through a lot of different emotions. They’re giving me another incredible journey, and I just can’t wait.

KATHIE: Your character has such depth and isn't anything like the Tara in the book series. How do you feel about this role?

RUTINA: I mean it’s all coming together so beautifully, and I feel incredibly lucky and honored, to be a part of this cast and be a part of this show and working for Alan Ball and the rest of the writers and HBO is a dream. It’s like a dream job, and I had no idea it would be such a huge hit. I mean it just like went to the sky. We’re all over the world now. I have people writing to me from Hungary and Germany, and it’s just like… I’m just like amazed.

I get overwhelmed and I cry every now and now ‘cause I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m on TV. I can’t believe people are enjoying my work. I mean this is what I went to school for. This is what I wanted, and I’m actually getting to do what I love. And when you get to do your passion, what you want to do, it’s incredible because there are a lot of people who actually don’t get to do what they want to do. So I’m incredibly thankful and grateful and appreciative of this job and of the show. It’s really great.

KATHIE: Your character gets a new romantic interest this season with the vampire Franklin Mott, played by James Frain. How would you describe the character?

RUTINA: Yeah, I say tall, dark and handsome with an emphasis on dark. I’ll say that.

ampires and iPhones, two forces that have taken over the world! As most already know, there’s an iphone app for damn near everything, that includes vampires. We have covered vampire apps in the past, but I’m back to bring you even more.

Vampires Live A big vampire game that you can play with countless other vampire fans. You start out as a lowly vampire and your goal is to become the most powerful vampire lord by bringing in other vampires into your clan and spreading your influence throughout the city.

Vampires: Bloodlust Yet another vampire game available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This crazy popular app is brought to you from the makers of the top games on Facebook, like Mafia Wars. Just like Vampires Live, the whole point is to build the largest Vampire Clan and kill the living. Just like a vampire game should be.Read more from Vampire.com